Other varieties of Bt corn are not known to be harmful to humans.
FORBES: Kraft Recalls Taco Bell Shells Sold In Grocery Stores
Cornell's laboratory research suggests that wind-blown pollen from the Bt corn could disrupt the monarch caterpillar's feeding -- often killing them before they metamorphose from caterpillars to butterflies.
Indeed, Bt corn and other engineered crops have generally drawn rave reviews from farmers and agronomists for increasing crop yields and reducing the need for pesticides and fertilizers.
The Cornell researchers stressed that consumption of Bt corn poses no threat to humans, nor is there any evidence that Bt corn causes harm to bees, ladybugs or other beneficial insects.
"This study does not give any basis for a change in our marketing of Bt-corn, " their spokesperson Sheena Bethell told BBC News Online.
Novartis Seeds were the first biotechnology company to sell Bt-corn and their products are now grown commercially in the US, Canada, Argentina and Spain.
As the Bt-corn fends off insect pests, it also reduces the levels of the mold Fusarium, thereby reducing the levels of the fungal toxin fumonisin.
FORBES: Bittman of the 'New York Times': Always Out To Lunch
Indeed, researchers at Iowa State University and the US Department of Agriculture found that in Bt-corn the level of fumonisin is reduced by as much as 80% compared to conventional corn.
FORBES: Bittman of the 'New York Times': Always Out To Lunch
Monsanto has received U.S. Department of Agriculture approval for commercial sale of Bt strains of corn, potatoes and cotton.
Insect-resistant corn containing the BT toxin, derived from a bacterium and used in organic farming, does kill butterflies and other good insects but far less than 1% of them.
应用推荐